It’s no wonder Pangbourne is a hot spot for commuters, it hits all the key notes with great restaurants, schools, independent shops and a mainline train station. All this is wrapped up in a beautiful riverside setting. The village centre is lined with pretty historic buildings and surrounded by countryside, with Reading only 6 miles away.
Culture & Entertainment
There’s a great range of quality independent shops including a butcher, cheese shop, florists and gift shop.
Pangbourne hosts a weekly village market, monthly antiques fair and French film nights in the village hall. There’s an annual summer fair by the river and the hotels and restaurants host their own regular events.
The village has a great variety of pubs and restaurants. Our favourites; The Swan at Pangbourne has an innovative menu and river terrace, perfect for watching the boats go by. The Elephant Hotel is a modern classic with two well rated restaurants, ideal for entertaining guests and special occasions.
For a wider range of shops and restaurants, Reading is 6 miles away.
Parks & Recreation
The Water Meadows is a large public park right on the river, popular for walks, summer picnics and host to the village fete in June.
Beale Park just down the road offers a great day out for families with a wildlife park, indoor and outdoor play areas, lake and pavilion.
The National Trust’s Basildon Park is an 18th century masterpiece, lovingly restored and recently used for filming Pride & Prejudice. There are 400 acres of gardens and woodland to enjoy.
Schools & Education
Pangbourne is served by a great selection of private and public schools. St Andrew’s Prep, The Oratory Prep, Whitchurch School and Pangbourne College are all within 3 miles of the village and rated as good or outstanding.
Local Gems
Pankhurst Cycles was borne from Rikki Pankhurst and Toby Davies’ shared passion for all things cycling. Renowned across the Thames Valley for their expertise, they love to encourage all ages, sizes and abilities to join the sport.
Pankhurst Cycles offers everything from replacing an inner tube to building custom bikes to customer’s specific needs, be that a weekend pottering bike or triathlon dream machine.
In addition the shop sells performance clothing, every bit of bike kit you could need, and offers performance coaching. If you’re looking for the right bike, kit and motivation to enjoy your own brand of cycling, this is the place to go.
Cheese Etc. is a shop dedicated to all things cheese, how marvellous! The Pangbourne Cheese Shop is independently owned by Ali & Jen Grimstone-Jones, and sells over 100 handcrafted artisan cheeses from the UK and abroad, sourced directly from small cheesemakers. The shop has a deli feel with supplementary necessities such as crackers, chutney and wines. They even offer a monthly subscription, gift boxes, cheese towers and free delivery in and around the Reading area.
With a strong focus on product and service excellence it’s no wonder they have won a plethora of awards including Cheese Counter of the Year at The World Cheese Awards. An absolute must to visit!
Location & Connections
Reading: 6 miles
M4 J12: 5 miles
Reading train station: 6 miles
London Paddington: 1 hour direct, 47 minutes via in Reading